The mighty Drake Passage is undulating out of my cabin window on the M/V Ocean Nova. The vessel is rolling rhythmically from side to side. It seems we have had good luck so far in terms of conditions. The Drake is infamous as being one of the roughest stretches of ocean on the planet and the 2 day passage we are in the middle of is billed as an integral part of the overall experience. Sea sick tablets are strongly recommended and dolled out like candy. Though I probably wouldn´t need them I taking them anyway, the weather could kick the swells up to 5 meters at any moment.
After the day and a half of waiting in Ushuaia for it to be time to board, it was finally time at 3PM on the 21st. I spent the morning taking care of last minute shopping and preparation including doing laundry, buying booze, waterproof pants and a adapter for onboard electricity. We met altogether near the ship and after all the logistical nightmares (my original ship was cancelled just days before I was due to depart while I was in BA, I had to kick and scream to get on a boat leaving just a day after my scheduled departure) I had been through I was relieved to be finally going through the motions of actually getting on the ship. We rolled by bus the 500 meters or so into the port and passed through an absolute joke of a security stop and before I knew it I was being escorted to my cabin.
The boat is nice, relatively modern and fully kitted out with creature comforts. It is setup and looks much like a cruise ship only much much smaller. There are 72 passengers on board and almost that number of crew. I unpacked quickly and we all gathered for small group ship tours in the main salon. Following the brief intro to the boat we gathered together once again for a safety and muster briefing. When the briefing was finished the excitement began to build like a steamroller and as we knew in just moments we would push off. Everyone was huddled together on the bow and an unexpected deafening blow of the ships horn signified the beginning our journey...We were headed for Antarctica! ! !
After watching the "End of the World" shrink behind us, it was time for dinner. The food so far has been superb. Dinner was a full 5 course meal including appetizer, soup, main, desert and a cheese plate; we ate our fill and chatted light-heartedly amongst ourselves. The people onboard seem great; a truly unique mix of adventurous souls from all walks of life.
The sea sick meds were distributed after dinner as we would soon leave the shelter of the Beagle Chanel for the open ocean. I spent some more time chatting and had a glass of wine, but most people hit the bed pretty early...I guess all the excitement and the meds in combination were a knockout punch. It took me a while to fall asleep because my internal clock was still spinning from BA, but once I did sleep the gentle rock of the ocean was a like a warm embrace and I slept comfortably.
I arose for breakfast at 8 for a full day at sea. There are atleast a half dozen experts in various fields with us to provide the educational aspects of the trip as well as serve as the zodiak drivers. I have spent the day alternating between lectures on ice and whales, briefings on landing procedures and quick naps.
For a start of the journey of a lifetime, things could not be going better...knock on wood.
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